My Windows Temp folder keeps accumulating 100 GB or more of WAV files, eventually filling my C: drive. The files appear inside folders with names similar to `ea085d49-f20f-49c3-a3f4-eee6d75f05a9_FOLDER.zip.5a9`, and each folder usually contains one WAV file. This has happened about once a month for the past four months.
The original music collection is stored on another drive, although I also have a backup on an external hard drive that could potentially be involved. The files seem to come from ZIP archives in my music folders, even though I do not remember opening those archives. Sorting the Temp folder by date shows many files being created sequentially from the same groups of ZIP folders.
I can permanently delete the files, but I would prefer to identify the program or process creating them and stop the behavior. What is the best way to track down the cause?
3 Answers
The most likely explanation is music software that scans the collection and extracts files from the ZIP archives so it can inspect or play them. Check recently installed or music-related applications, including library managers, media players, converters, backup tools, and indexing utilities. Temporarily disabling their library scans may help confirm which one is responsible.
Use Windows Resource Monitor or Microsoft Process Monitor to identify the process writing into the Temp directory. In Process Monitor, filter for file operations where the path contains your Temp folder, then wait for one of the WAV files to appear. The process name should reveal which application is extracting them, which is more useful than repeatedly cleaning up the files.
Opening or previewing an archive can cause Windows or another application to extract temporary copies. Those temporary files are not always removed, especially if the program crashes, is interrupted, or keeps the files locked. Cleanup tools can remove leftover temporary data, but they will not stop the application that keeps creating it, so identifying the writer is the important step.
I’m not intentionally opening the ZIP files, so a background scan or media application seems more likely. I’ll check which programs have access to the music folders.
That sounds more useful than just deleting the files. I’ll monitor the Temp directory when the next batch starts and look for the application performing the writes.